LE TRAIN PRÉSIDENTIEL DU GÉNÉRAL DE GAULLE ET LES VOYAGES OFFICIELS AVEC LE CHEMIN DE FER

General De Gaulle, who was, without doubt, among a thousand moral qualities, the last President of the Republic to frequently use the railway during his official trips, totaling more than thirty trips between 1960 and 1969. Sometimes using the presidential cars. General De Gaulle mainly used a train from the RGP series ("Rame à Grand Parcours") of the SNCF, composed of two power cars (the X-2723 specially fitted with a lounge, and the X-2734) framing an XR-7716 trailer with lounge and kitchen. The President's entourage included more than twenty people, police officers, CIWL agents for table service, SNCF agents (traction inspector, drivers, repairers, etc.). The General and his wife normally occupy the lounge of the central car, the members of the government occupy the neighboring compartments, as well as the aides-de-camp, the chief of protocol, the bodyguards, the valet de chambre and a railway worker seconded by the SNCF. The seats of one of the engines are occupied by journalists. It should be noted that some distinguished guests traveled with the General, such as Konrad Adenauer in 1962 to go to Rouen or Antonio Segni (President of the Italian Republic) to go to Reims in 1964. In this film you will also see the visits to railway installations and trips made on the SNCF lines by General DE GAULLE, President EISENHOWER and Mr. KHROUCHTCHEV. The return to Mulhouse of the presidential railcar formerly used in particular by Charles de Gaulle, then President of the Republic, took place without incident at the beginning of January. Successful transfer! Built in 1936-1937 in Reichshoffen (Bas-Rhin) in the De Dietrich factories, the X 42511 railcar is not a train like the others. Intended for the travels of the Presidency of the Republic, it transported among other statesmen Vincent Auriol, René Coty, and especially Charles de Gaulle to reach, from Paris, Barsur-Aube and go to Colombey-les-Deux-Églises… After being welcomed in several successive places, the railcar was repatriated to Mulhouse, on January 8th to the Cité du Train-Patrimoine SNCF, its owner. “This train has a heritage value in at least three ways. First of all, it is one of the last four De Dietrich railcars still preserved today: ours, another in Luxembourg, another in the Pays de Bitche, and finally the last one at the Train Thur Doller Alsace in Cernay,” explains Anne Bourguignon, Conservation Officer at the Cité. “Secondly, it is a testament to Alsatian expertise in railcar production in the 1930s, at the initiative of Dominique De Dietrich. Finally, it is part of French history since it was used by eminent figures of the Republic including several presidents, as well as for official trips. The story of X 42511 is a real saga, judge for yourself. “It first circulated on the State network to provide passenger transport. It was then transformed into a command railcar with a new interior layout: a kitchen area with a dining room for 12 people, a bedroom-office with a single bed, three single berth cabins and a double berth cabin for the driving or accompanying staff. Charles de Gaulle's first trip on board was in December 1944 for a trip from Paris to Lyon," explains Anne Bourguignon. It was then used, with the XS 42514 railcar, for presidential or official trips for, for example, General Pierre Koenig, who was military governor of Paris and Minister of Defense. Deregistered in 1974, it was bought by the Coca-Cola company to serve as a VIP lounge to receive clients. It was then repainted in the colors of the famous soda brand, red and white. The company subsequently donated it to the Cité du Train in 1996. “From 2003, the railcar was exhibited in Laon in the Aisne region, in the courtyard of the Noirot company, a heating system manufacturer whose owner, René Teurquetil, was a railway enthusiast,” continues Anne Bourguignon. Upon its arrival at the Cité last month and after undergoing a quick cleaning, the railcar joined the museum’s outdoor storage tracks. “For the moment, visitors can only see it from a very long distance! It must first be restored before any future development of its use in the museum’s collections,” announces Anne Bourguignon.